Billions of dollars of smart utility meters are being installed across America that are unable to integrate with, or enable, the smart grid of the future on which U.S. energy sustainability depends, according to the landmark report "Getting Smarter About the Smart Grid," published by the National Institute for Science, Law and Public Policy. The meter network has been called a colossal waste of taxpayer and ratepayer dollars by critics, who argue that the new meters and networks do not improve energy efficiency, enhance energy management, help balance supply and demand, or facilitate the integration of renewable sources. The panel will clarify technical misunderstandings about smart meters, the entrenched economic models preventing utilities from fully embracing renewable energy, and how the growing smart meter rebellion may herald a transformation in the political economy of energy. The panelists will describe what they believe it will to take to create a reliable, safe, sustainable electricity grid, with our planetary interests at heart, and how a clean energy economy can be fast tracked through an innovative collaborative financing arrangement between the private and public sectors.

Commonwealth Club

The leading national forum open to all for the impartial discussion of public issues important to the membership, community and nation. The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. Each year, we bring nearly 500 events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy to more than 25,000 members and the public, both in-person and via an extensive online and on-air listenership and viewership.